Daijiworld Media Network - Haryana
Haryana, Oct 15: Sometimes, success arrives just when the world expects you to stop trying. For Vikas Kundu, the road to becoming a civil servant was marked by years of uncertainty, repeated setbacks and moments when his dream seemed painfully distant. Yet, instead of allowing disappointment to define his future, he kept learning, adapting and moving forward. His determination finally paid off when he secured All India Rank 27 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025 in his sixth and final attempt.
Kundu hails from Gillu Kheda, a small village in Haryana’s Jind district, where his family depends on agriculture. His parents had limited formal education and could not guide him through the complexities of the Union Public Service Commission examination. Nevertheless, their support remained an important foundation throughout his journey.
His ambition to join the civil services took shape during his college years at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, where he pursued a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Exposure to the civil services preparation culture around him helped him understand the possibilities of a career in public administration and inspired him to take the challenging examination seriously.
The journey, however, was far from smooth. His first two attempts ended at the preliminary examination stage. The disappointment forced him to confront his shortcomings and reconsider his preparation. Instead of repeating the same methods, he began examining his mistakes more honestly and changing his approach.
His third and fourth attempts took him all the way to the interview stage, but he failed to make the final selection on both occasions. Reaching the final stage only to fall short proved emotionally exhausting. After one such setback, he spent several days struggling to come to terms with the result. Still, he eventually gathered the courage to return to his books.
A significant breakthrough came in a subsequent attempt when he secured All India Rank 288 and was allocated the Indian Police Service. He began training as an IPS officer, an achievement that would have been a dream come true for many aspirants. For Kundu, however, the desire to pursue his larger ambition remained alive.
With one final attempt available, he decided to give the examination another shot. Interestingly, he kept his decision from his family, who believed he would appear for the examination the following year. When the result was announced, he revealed that he had taken the examination and secured AIR 27. His family was stunned by the unexpected news.
Kundu’s preparation relied largely on self-study, supported by test series, discussions with fellow aspirants and regular self-assessment. He continuously refined his strategy, focusing on revision, mock tests and answer-writing practice. He also worked on presenting information effectively, enriching his answers with relevant examples, facts and data rather than relying on generic responses.
He paid particular attention to writing structured, direct answers that captured the examiner’s attention from the introduction itself. His approach evolved through successive attempts, demonstrating the importance of identifying weaknesses and making practical changes instead of blindly following a fixed routine.
For the personality test, he concentrated on understanding his Detailed Application Form thoroughly and keeping abreast of current affairs, including national and international developments. He also planned his daily targets in advance to maintain consistency and direction.
Kundu’s achievement holds special significance for Gillu Kheda, where he became the first person from the village to reach this milestone in the civil services, according to reports. His journey offers a powerful lesson to aspirants facing repeated disappointments: hard work matters, but so does the willingness to learn from failure and work intelligently.
From a farming household in a small Haryana village to securing a place among the country’s top UPSC candidates, Vikas Kundu has shown that setbacks need not determine the outcome of a dream. Sometimes, the attempt that follows years of struggle becomes the one that changes everything.